The Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) honored Dr. Jeffrey Byrd two weeks ago for his commitment and position as assistant coach of the women’s basketball team.
Byrd is a professor of Microbiology at the College and is also the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) and assistant women’s basketball coach. He has been a faculty member in the biology department for 20 years.
“As an avid sports fan and strong supporter of student participation in athletics, I was regularly found at all sporting events on campus. This naturally led to a direct interaction with the student-athletes as the FAR,” Byrd said.
The CAC regularly recognizes members of the CAC: students, coaches, administrators, etc., in a feature titled “Introducing…”
These members are asked to elucidate their involvement in athletics so that the CAC can commend their accomplishments.
First-year women’s basketball player Pui Sham thought that the spotlight upon Dr. Byrd was well directed.
She said, “…Dr. Byrd is a great coach, he provides us with a lot of encouragement and offers the team a lot of constructive criticism.”
Byrd said, “[Coaching] has really made me appreciate the stress student athletes are under.”
Dr. Byrd regularly spends twenty to thirty extra hours a week in his role as assistant coach.